| Goraždevac murders | |
|---|---|
| Location | Goraždevac, Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro |
| Date | 13 August 2003 |
| Target | Serbs |
| Deaths | 6 |
the Goraždevac murders is the name of the shootings that occurred on August 13, 2003, when six ethnic Serb children were shot. The perpetrators are still unknown.[1]
Goraždevac is surrounded by Albanian settlements, making it a Serb enclave, and thus under 24-hour protection from KFOR.[1]
in August 2003, a large group of Serb children from the Serb enclave of Goraždevac, close to Peć, gathered on the banks of the river Bistrica. As the children played and swam in the river, shots were fired from the Albanian village of Zahač. 19-year old Igor Jovanović died instantly, while 13-year old Pantelija Dakić died in the hospital, 11-year old Marko Bogićević and 15-year old Bogdan Bukumirović were seriously injured, while Dragana Srbljak and Đorđe Ugrenović suffered from minor injuries.[1]
Even though the crime was immediately condemned by the UNMIK, KFOR, Kosovo Albanian Officials, EU, Russia, France and the U.S., the perpetrators were not found. UNMIK Police Commissioner Stefan Feller promised at the time of the murders that he would turn "every stone to find the child killers."[1]
The Government of Serbia stated that this crime needed to be solved and that the murderers "must be brought to justice."[1] The UNMIK offered 1m dollar to whoever helps with the case.[1] The fifth anniversary and memorial service to the victims was held in the Holy Virgin Mary Church in Goraždevac.[1]